


Ninjago: Yin and Yang

by Summertime_Biscuits



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Gen, Redemption, i hope i finish this, villain kai
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:34:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28103268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Summertime_Biscuits/pseuds/Summertime_Biscuits
Summary: 23 years after the Ninja defeat Garmadon, something is wrong in Ninjago. A darkness is coming, and few can sense it. After receiving strange dreams (or maybe visions? Ari's not sure) from what looks like the Anacondri tomb, Ari Pamidala sets out to find an old foe who she believes is the key to saving Ninjago.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 5





	1. Day of the Dragon

**Author's Note:**

> Here is a kind of crappy overview of the au. AU: SOG steals the Oni masks. The ninjas protect the Royal family. The palace blows up, and the Royal Family except Harumi dies. Harumi manipulates Kai to join the SOG with "you should have been the green ninja". She manipulates Lloyd as well. Garmadon comes back, the plot of seasons 8&9 continues. They defeat Garmadon, and Kai runs away to live in exile. Season 10 and after don't happen. Each of the elemental masters does their own thing, but their main job is to protect Ninjago after Garmadon's warning. It has been 23 years since the warning, and a dark presence is growing close.

_The loud crackle of fireworks exploded into the air, lighting up the sky with their colorful brilliance that gave the people of New Ninjago City a surge of excitement. Drums pounded proudly to the beat of the festival music. Children holding lanterns on sticks ran through the streets laughing, as their parents chased after them. The large parade of dragon puppets, musicians, and performers made the streets of Ninjago alive and happy again. The sound it made was almost deafening, as people cheered and sparklers exploded. It was good to see the city happy again._

Ari Pamidala walked through the crowd, small children running past her giggling. She couldn’t help but smile as they did, nostalgia coming back to her. She had always loved the Day of the Dragon or Ninjago New Year. The city was so beautiful, so happy. It had been 23 years since the Ninja had defeated Emperor Garmadon, and the Day of the Dragon had over the years, morphed into a celebration of his defeat. No one could help but feel happy.

_Kai adjusted his position on the rooftop of an apartment, watching the parade go by. Had it really been a year since Garmadon was defeated? It felt so long ago. Kai shook his head, he’d rather not think about that at the moment. Besides, the parade was so much more fun to watch._

Ari snuck into an alleyway, away from the crowd. Her eyes followed the building upward. It wasn’t that tall, she could climb it with the escape ladders. She stretched for a minute, tightened her hijab, and she was off. With the grace of a spider, she made her way to the roof, taking in the parade from above. She sat on her legs and sighed, a smile seemed to be permanently etched on her face.

_Kai couldn’t help but feel slightly uneasy. He had tried to distract himself with the parade, but he couldn’t chase away the feeling that he shouldn’t be there. It was sort of his fault that Garmadon returned in the first place, he was the one who let himself be manipulated by Harumi. He was the one who put power before his own friends. He was the one to betray the ninjas and join the Sons Of Garmadon._

Ari dug into her bag to pull out a bag of chocolates, and a can of soda. Opening up both, she absentmindedly indulged in both as she was mesmerized by the parade. Even the cold concrete below her couldn’t keep her grounded in reality. Her mind was drifting away, but her eyes still remained trained on the parade. But even as she watched the fabulous show, in the back of her mind, something was off. She could sense something dark, but she couldn’t quite place it.

_He pinched himself, trying to chase away those thoughts. This new life, away from those he hurt, this is what he deserved. He knew that. That's how he was going to live, and that was fine. But even then, what Garmadon had said to Lloyd, “They will come, they will come and there will be no stopping them.” It left Kai with chills. He didn’t sense anything dark but he knew:_

She knew:

**Something was terribly wrong.**


	2. The Tomb

Ari can’t feel anything. She doesn’t know where she is, but she doesn’t panic. She looks around, to see a long stretch of desert and blue sky in every direction. Looking down, she finds herself hovering over the ground, yet she has no body. Everytime she moves her head, it takes a minute for her eyes to unblur.

In front of her stands a strange structure, but she does not question it. It looks to be a gigantic fang, balanced carefully on a small structure of rocks. There is even to be a small cave, letting anyone who wishes to enter or exit. Ari drifts towards the mouth of the cave.  
She watches as a man steps out. His features are concealed by a cloak, yet Ari knows she recognizes him. Her face twists in confusion, how does she know him if she can’t see him?

“Ari,” Her name echoes through the barren landscape. Ari turns around frantically to see where it came from, to find no answers. She knows one thing, the man standing below her did not call out her name. It was not his voice.

“Ari!” This time, the voice had a sense of urgency. The winds of the desert pick up, sand being pulled away from their dunes. The sky darkens, and the wind howls.

“Ari!” She can barely hear the voice this time, the winds seems to eat up the words as they are spoken. Lightning lights up the landscape for a split second, and Ari can see it: the darkness.

It is almost like a cloud of mist, it’s pitch black. As lightning strikes more frequently, she watches in horror as it moves closer. Black tendrils arise from the vapor. Ari feels her stomach drop. They’re reaching for her. They’re going to get her. Panic fills Ari’s chest.

“Ari, go!” The voice echoes tenfold, Ari tries to move, but she can’t. She is frozen in place. She looks below her to see the tendrils of smoke rising for her. They cling to her legs and crawl up her body. It's cold. So cold, Ari wonders if she’ll ever feel warmth again.

She tries to scream, but no sound comes out. The smoke enters her mouth, her vision starts to fade.

“Ari.” the voice is in her ear. “GO!”

A scream finally escapes her lips as Ari sits up in bed, shaking. Her whole body is drenched in a cold sweat, and she can feel the adrenaline coursing through her. She looks around to find she is in her room again. No desert, no sand. No black cloud. She was safe.

Ari let out a sigh of relief as she fell back into her bed. Her eyes stung with hot tears. She was going to be okay, it was only a bad dream. She rubbed her eyes and pulled the blankets tightly around herself.

And yet as she lay nestled safely in her bed, she couldn’t shake the feeling of dread she had felt. The same feeling she had felt last night. She turned over to look at her bedside table to find it was 2:47 A.M. She didn’t feel tired at all.

It was like someone had turned on an alarm in her head she couldn’t shut off. The man, the strange structure, the voice, it didn’t seem like a normal dream. The voice had told her to go, but go where? To the desert fang place? She stood up and stretched.

Saying it in her head felt right. She shook her head. Trekking through the desert to find some old man who felt vaguely familiar wasn’t exactly her idea of a fun time. Ari chewed on her nails nervously, rocking on her heels. The alarm in her head still nagging her. Maybe this had something to do with her… quirk.

Ever since Ari was about eight or so, she figured out she could do things, other people couldn’t do. When playing with her brother, Din, she had gotten angry, and had caused a lamp to explode, and set the table where it was placed, on fire. They had managed to clean the mess before their father got home, Din telling their father the lamp had overheated and caused the fire. But Ari knew that wasn’t true. She knew it was her fault.

Their father had reprimanded them both for horseplay but sent them on their way. Din had pulled Ari aside after that and told her she couldn’t do that again, or else their whole family would be in trouble because she was too dangerous. At the time, Ari didn’t question her older brother, and went along with it, too afraid to put her family in danger.

When she was about 9, she had slightly disregarded her brother's warning. She never practiced her power in front of anyone, but she didn’t entirely get rid of it. Sometimes, when Ari was home alone, she would practice in the bathroom, as she believed it to be the least famible part of their apartment.

Over the years, she had figured out her power’s abilities to exploding things (and sometimes catching them on fire and being able to melt things in her hands. She may not have mastered it by any means, but she could probably defend herself if need be.

In school, she learned about the ninja who saved Ninjago over and over again. She learned about their powers, and almost felt connected to them in a way. There was a point in time where she fantasized about running away to join them, even if they were, like, 20 years older than her. They were probably the only ones who could help her with her power, and she just wanted to understand it.

But this dream, the strange man, what if he could help her, and she could help him? Surely she had gotten this dream (or maybe vision?) for a reason. Maybe the man could help her stop the black cloud.

She shivered, trying to shake the memory from her head. The only problem with this plan being, she had no idea where he was. She ran over to her small bookcase and ran her fingers over the spines of the books trying to find something, _anything_ that could help her. She stopped at a book entitled _The Explorer’s Guide to Ninjago’s Landmarks, by Clutch Powers._

She pulled the book off the shelf and began flipping through the pages. She stopped on a page with a large painting of the exact structure she saw in her dream. The Anacondrai Tomb. Her eyes darted across the page as she read it.

_Once known for holding the extinct species of fearsome Anacondrai snakes, the Anacondrai Tomb remains vacant to this day. Although the true location is not known, it is known that it is located in the Northwest Region of the Sea of Sand. It is PROHIBITED that the public enter the tomb. While this might be a sight to be seen, it is not accessible to the public._

Ari decided to ignore the last two lines. She quickly scavenged her room, finding light linen clothes from the mandatory school play (She had played a desert merchant and gotten a solo. Not that that mattered, she was just saying). She stuffed it in a bag while running into the kitchen. She ransacked it for food, stuffing it in her leather bag along with a large canteen of water.

  
Running back to her room, she changed into a pair of light, pale brown pants, her black hiking boots, and a thin, white long sleeve tee-shirt. She matched it all with a chestnut hijab and turned her attention to her travel map of Ninjago she had gotten when she was little. She uncapped a red Sharpie and marked her path on the map. The Northwest part of the Sea of Sand wasn’t that far from Ninjago City. She could easily take a bus and find it within a day. She sighed in triumph, stuffing the map in her pocket.

Just as she was about to walk out the door, she was overcome with _a what the hell are you doing?_ kind of feeling. She paused, turning to look back inside the house. Her father was away most of the time on business trips, but her brother would worry. She returned to the kitchen and scribbled down a note.

I’m going to stay with Ellie for a while, her family is going to their beach house. -Ari

She stuck it on the fridge with a magnet and pulled out her phone to text her brother the same message. She didn’t like lying that much, but she didn’t want Din to worry.

She walked out the door, closing it behind her, there was no turning back now. She was off to find the Tomb.


	3. The Monk

Ari had spent most of the day walking along the coast. It was away from the dry heat of the desert, and much less tiring. After no luck finding the tomb, she had decided to embark and walk along the dunes, no matter how hot or tired she got.

Ari dug out her canteen from her bag, trying to drink any last moisture left inside the empty metal container. She sighed, putting it back into her bag. She looked around her. In front of her, there was a rather tall dune. Maybe if she stood on top of it she could see the tomb. 

Ari crawled her way to the top, the hot sand burning her palms. She clenched her teeth, trying to ignore it. Sweat trickled down her neck to her back. The sun burning her skin through her clothes. She was almost to the summit. 

The top of the dune crested and Ari pulled her body to see over the top, letting the rest of her body collapse. She took a moment to take in her surroundings. There it was. Just a couple of dunes away, the tomb rested. Ari let out a joyfully cry, sitting up quickly and finding herself tumble back down the sand. 

She lay at the bottom of the dune, laughing with exhaustion and relief. The sky above her turning a pretty shade of pink. Little pinpricks of starlight poked through the atmosphere. Ari placed her hands on her stomach, breathing deeply. She was almost there.

Ari couldn’t help but run her way through the sand as it slipped below her trying to pull her down. She didn’t care. The tomb was in sight, it was so close she could almost touch it. She quickly crawled her way up the mountain of sand it was placed on, her energy returning to her. 

Her hands grabbing the rocks to pull herself up. She faced the entrance of the cave. The world around her dark as night took over. Ari looked around a moment, finding an old stick on the ground near the rocks. She picked it up, it could be useful as a torch.

Ari concentrated, her eyes fixed on the top of the stick. She closed them slowly and breathed in and out. She could feel the energy flowing through her. Her lips curled into a smile. She took a deep inhale, and with the exhale, a loud band ricochet through the desert. She opened her eyes to find the top of the stick on fire. Ari let out a small victory whoop, ignoring the lightheaded feeling that came with using her powers.

She entered the mouth of the cave, leaving the outside world. Looking down, she saw a pile of old bones pushed into the wall. Ari’s face twisted in disgust. Moss and stalactites hung from the ceiling. From deep within the cave, she could hear every so often, a drop of water falling from the ceiling, along with the crackle of a fire. She couldn't help but feel slightly excited. 

As she walked deeper into the cave, she could see the light of the fire bouncing off of the cave walls. She could hear someone shuffling around. Ari’s heartbeat quickened.

“Hello?” Ari called out, her voice echoing slightly.

The shuffling ceased. Ari’s heart pounded in her ears.

“Anyone?” She looked around. “My name is Ari Pamidala, I think I was called here.”

Nothing. Ari bit the inside of her cheek. She looked back to see that the fire had been put out. She rocked nervously. 

_Woosh_. Ari let out a scream and ducked just in enough time. A ball of white-hot fire came inches to burning her face off. Ari covered her face with her arms, it still felt hot on her cheek.

She could feel someone looking at her. She raised her arms, opening her eyes. Her torch was now in the man’s hands, lighting his face. Ari’s eyes widened. 

“Kai?”

Ari had only seen a couple of pictures of him when he was way younger. Even now, she could barely recognize him. His brown had streaks of grey, and slight wrinkles on his forehead, and near his eyes and nose. A scar indented into his left eye. He wore a dark brown cloak that covered robes that reminded Ari of the pictures of Wu, the master of creation. His face wore a frown.

"What are you doing here, kid?” His voice was a lot harsher than Ari had expected it to be.

“I was sent here, I think.” Ari stood up. “I had a vision, I saw you in this desert. There was this darkness, it swallowed the whole land, including me. I heard a voice telling me to go and… Now I’m here.”

For a moment, Ari saw Kai’s face change. In that split second, she knew he understood. But he returned to a frown.

“You sure you didn’t party too hard or something?” He turned around. “Go home, kid. I sure as hell didn’t call you here.”

Kai started to walk back into the cave. Ari bit her lip. No, it couldn’t end just like this. She began to walk after him.

“But sir, we have to do something about it! I don’t think I was brought here for no reason!” She begged. “The darkness will take over everything, _everywhere_. Including here.” Ari ran in front of Kai, making him stop and look at her.

“You’re Kai, one of the most powerful elementals! You can’t just sit by and let this happen!” Ari could feel the anger rise inside her.

“No kid.” Kai pointed at Ari’s face. “What you’re describing- if you’re even telling the truth- That’s Oni. You can’t just _stop_ Oni.” He walked past her. Ari’s eyes stung.

“But I think we can! I’m an elemental too! If you could just train me we could stop-” Ari pounded her fist against her chest.

“NO.” Kai turned around. “Look kid, this isn’t your place. This isn’t my place. The council of elementals will take care of this.”

Ari could feel the hot tears falling down her face. Her hands clenched into fists, her nails digging at her palms. A low humming sound seemed to rumble in the cave. Kai stopped walking, he turned around slowly.

“Kid…?”

Ari wasn’t going to listen to this jerk anymore. She angrily wiped away at her tears. How was the “council of elementals” supposed to stop the Oni if they didn’t know? The voice had called out to her, not them. She was sick and tired of people not listening to her.

“KID!” Kai stepped towards her. 

_BOOM_! A flash of white light from behind Ari sent both her and Kai flying. A fierce heat accompanied it. Ari’s back smashed into the wall of the cave as the wind was knocked out of her. She felt herself crash down onto the sandy rocks of the floor.

It took a long minute for Ari’s ears to stop ringing. She rubbed her head, sitting up. Surprisingly enough, not much damage had been done. Two boulders from the roof now made the entrance slightly smaller, and now the floor of the cave was littered in smaller rocks, but that was the extent. Ari fell back to the ground and groaned. Her energy was completely drained. 

“Kid? Kid!” Kai rushed beside Ari. “Hey, don’t be dead, please don’t be dead.” Kai shook Ari slightly. “C’mon, wake up kid!”

Ari opened her eyes. Kai sighed and lay her back down. He leaned up against the wall of the cave. 

“Oh thank the First Spinjitzu Master.” Kai breathed. He turned his head to look at Ari. “Are you okay? Nothing broken?”

Ari sat up slowly, feeling less lightheaded. 

“I don’t think so…”

“Good.” Kai looked forward again. “You are an elemental.”

Ari gave him a sideways stare.

“I did tell you that,” Ari smirked.

“I guess you did.” Kai closed his eyes. “You're the elemental of combustion. I had thought the last one was killed in the Serpentine Wars.” 

Ari shook her head. 

“I guess not.” She paused. “I am not sure if the council knows. I have sensed the Oni for a day or two now, the vision I received being the most intense. But even here, I can barely sense it.”

“You are a powerful elemental,” Kai explained. “I have only sensed a darkness like this once, I didn’t think much of it.” Kai looked at her. “I hate to admit it, but I think you’re right.” 

Ari felt a sense of pride. 

“Will you train me?” 

Kai sighed heavily. 

“You really want me to train you, kid? Do you know who I am? ‘The Traitor of the Elementals’?” Kai’s tone was serious.

“I don’t think I have a choice,” Ari whispered. 

Kai stood up, offering his hand to Ari. Ari took it, helping herself up.

“I’ll train you kid,” Kai smirked. “I don’t think I have a choice now either.” He let go of her hand, to grab her by the shoulders. 

“Because you might be our last hope.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I am going to be making edits to the grammar and such as I go along, so please don't bash me for that. I hope you all have a happy holiday!


	4. The Mentor

Kai walked away from Ari to light a torch on the wall. Night had now fully set in, the sky had changed from deep purple to a navy blue. Starlight spilled in from the door, and the torch gave the cave a warm glow.

“You can sit down.” Kai nodded in Ari’s direction.

“Thank you so much for the invitation.” Ari rolled her eyes. She found the most comfortable looking rock and sat down. Kai walked back further into the cave where she had seen the firelight earlier.

Ari drew in the dirt with a stick, waiting for Kai to come back. It didn’t take him too long, and he returned with two clay bowls. Ari gave Kai a look of curiosity at the bowls.

“Dinner?” She asked and Kai passed her a dish.

“Yeah, you look like you haven't eaten all day. It’s the least I can do. But don’t get too excited. It’s desert soup.” Kai warned.

Ari looked into her bowl. A strange, warm, brownish liquid with chunks of  _ something  _ floating in it. It looked to be chunks of some kind of meat or maybe starch? And was that.. Insect legs? 

“Desert soup?” She asked, trying to hide her disgust. 

“It's cactus juice, cactus, and beetle,” Kai said while eating a spoonful.

“Beetle…” Ari stirred it around. 

“Don’t think about it too much, just eat it,” Kai spoke with this mouth full.

Ari took a tentative spoonful. It wasn’t that bad, just crunchy. It sent a shockwave of nausea through her. 

“So, sensei.” She had to think about anything but desert soup. “I’m curious, how will you train me?”

“Well Sparky,” Kai swallowed.

“Sparky?” 

“Yes. Sparky. Do you not know how your powers work? Right before you almost destroyed my lovely home, there were these little sparks popping right behind you.” When Ari only shook her head and looked down in response, Kai returned to his lecture.

“I am going to teach you my way. Not the creation or destruction way.”

“Your way?” Ari sat forward on her rock.   
  
“Yes. My way isn’t about the martial arts, or your power. My way is teaching you how to use it.” He shoveled another spoonful into his mouth.

Ari tilted her head in confusion while trying to eat without looking at the bowl.

“You are familiar with the story of the Oni and the Dragon, right?” At least he had the decency to finish eating before he spoke again. Ari nodded.

“Who isn’t?”

“Good, good.” Another spoonful. “You never know what schools are teaching kids these days.”

Ari snorted, almost spilling her bowl. Kai gave her a stern look. 

“Tell me what you know about that story.” It was an excuse not to eat, and Ari took it.

“Well, in the first realm, there were the Oni and the Dragon. The Oni had the power to destroy, while the dragon had the power to create.”

“Good good. What have you learned about creation and destruction?” 

“Well, creation is taught to the elemental master who wants to learn the way of balance.” Ari paused. “Master, I don’t understand. Why are you asking me these questions?” Kai only answered by shoving another spoonful of soup in his mouth.

“You were taught creation and destruction are opposites, like yin and yang right?"

Ari nodded, wiping her mouth with her sleeve and putting down her bowl of soup. 

“What  _ my way  _ is, is the little line between the yin and the yang.” Kai crossed his arms and stood up.

“Or.. the full yin and yang?” Ari stifled a laugh. 

“ _ Or the full yin and yang? _ ” Kai mocked, pitching his voice up a couple of octaves. “Last time I checked, I’m the sensei here.” Kai jabbed his finger on his chest and nodded. “So what I saw, that’s correct, alright Sparky?” 

“Isn’t the point of yin and yang balance between them? That's why it’s a circle?” Ari couldn’t hold in her laughter anymore.

“Don’t laugh, that’s not funny,” But even Kai couldn’t help a small grin. He turned away. “I’m the sensei, you're the student, you listen to me.”

Ari took deep breaths between her laughter to calm down. 

“Of course, sorry master. What were you saying, the little line between the yin and yang?”

“No, I said  _ my way _ was the full yin and yang, pay attention.” Kai sat down on a rock, recollecting himself. 

“I think I remember-” Ari started.

“I’m the sensei,” Kai whispered.

Ari snorted one last time before she became serious again.

“Wait, master, how can someone use both creation and destruction? They’re opposites, they don’t work together! Not to mention I don’t want to become the next Lord Garmadon and use destruction-” Kai held up his hand.

“Patients, kid. I’m getting there.” Kai finished his soup and set the bowl aside. “You see, what you were taught about creation and destruction was wrong.”

Ari raised her eyebrow. 

“That creation is good and destruction is evil, like Oni? I hate to break it to you Sensei, but I’m not sure.” Kai shook his head.

“There is no good side and evil side in real life, kid.”

“But Onis are evil and can’t be trusted, and their basically the embodiment of destruction-”

“Onis are not inherently evil.” Kai leaned back. “When Garmadon took over Ninjago city, there was this old lady, Mystaké, I think her name was. She played a pivotal role in their success in taking back Ninjago.” He stared at Ari. “And she was an Oni.”

“Master, I’m still not sure I understand.” Ari continued. 

“Here,” Kai said. “Creation and destruction aren’t good or bad. You remember when I said they were like yin and yang?”

Ari nodded.

“Well, creation and destruction have their own principles, like yin and yang. Creation is rooted deeply in logic, order, and the laws of knowledge. It’s about following the rules, and having complete control over your emotions, and not letting them hold you back. Destruction is based on chaos, exploring the unknown, and disregarding the logical. It is about embracing your emotions, letting them control you and fuel you.”

Ari wrinkled her brow. 

“So, it's not about good and evil?”

“No. It never was. Someone who leans to destruction can be good, and someone who leans to creation can be evil.”

“Oh.” Ari relaxed.

“And like I said, my way is finding the middle ground of the two. Not leaning towards creation or destruction.” Kai leaned forward. “My way, on a small scale, is keeping your emotions in order, to keep yourself balanced, but still letting them fuel your element.”

“Creation and destruction aren’t bad or good, just the people who use them,” Ari stated.

“You got that right, kid. Kai yawned. “And one last thing kid, you know Nya right? The water elemental?”

Ari nodded.

“The goodest of good. Lemme tell you something. Water is a destruction-based element.” 

“Water?” Ari raised her eyebrow again. Poor thing was going to be tired after today.

“Yep.” Kai nodded. “You see? Good person, destructive element. I mean, you’ve seen water crave away at rocks, making canyons, and don’t think it’s a destructive element?” Kai paused to look back at Ari. “You get it now, kid?”

“I think I do.” Ari layed down.

“Good. I think that's enough monologuing for one day. Plus, we need to get training.” Kai layed down. “Night kid.”

“Night, sensei.”


	5. The Student

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, y'all! Sorry for not posting for a while. I've been pretty busy, but I hope to post more regularly after this. I also have an Instagram where I post doodles of Ari now! @Sumertime_biscuits :)) please go give a follow if you want! Hope you enjoy this chapter! Kudos and comments are appreactied!

Hot sun streamed in through the open cave. Ari moved her arm to cover her face, shielding it from the burning air. She was awake but refused to open her eyes. Her whole body ached from sleeping on a floor of rocks. She could hear Kai moving around, along with the crackle of a fire. 

“Hey, Sparky. Wake up.” Ari felt Kai gently kick at her side. 

Ari groaned, too tired to yell at Kai. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, trying to adjust to the light. A small campfire was lit a couple of feet away from her, and a small, cracked, clay teapot was placed on the coals. Kai sat behind the fire, adding small scraps of a plant into the pot. Ari swiveled to face Kai, resting her head on her hands.

After some time had passed of Ari trying to keep her eyes open, Kai took the teapot off of the fire, pouring the contents into two cups. Ari took one, wary of the contents after last night’s desert soup. Kai must have seen her expression.

“Don’t worry about it, kid. It’s lemongrass from the coast.” Kai took a long sip. Ari let out a sigh of relief, drinking her own cup. The two finished their tea in silence as more sunlight found its way into the cave. 

Now fully awake, Ari couldn’t help the excitement that followed. This was the moment she had been waiting all of her 15 years of life for. She was finally getting trained. She stood up, stretching. 

“So master, what will we learn today?” Ari asked excitedly, rocking on her heels. “How to defeat an enemy with one punch? Or- or blow up a mountain with my power?” Ari gasped. “Will I learn spinjitzu?” 

Kai stood up, holding up his hand for Ari to be quiet. He steadied himself on his nin-jō. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

“No, not yet Sparky.” He walked over to her, his free hand behind his back. “Today, I just want to test you. I can’t train you properly if I don’t know where you are.”

“Oh.” Ari couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed. 

“But before we get started with that, we are going to meditate.” Kai put out the fire and took a seat on a nearby rock.

“Meditate?” All excited Ari felt drained from her. This was not how she expected to be trained at all, but hey. Any kind of training was better than none, even if it was boring as anything. 

She sat down across from Kai, mirroring his cross-legged position. She closed her eyes and rested her hands on her legs. She had meditated before, but never for long. It had always made her restless and twitchy. 

“Meditation is the key to balance. You have to balance your mind before your body.” Kai explained.

Ari made her breathing even as she tried to stay focused. Kai was probably right, and she should balance herself, but her mind kept wandering off. Minutes seemed to drag on forever as Ari felt the need to move. She kept opening her eyes to see what Kai was doing and tried to mirror him as best she could. Ari quickly grew impatient. 

After what seemed like forever and a half, Kai finally stood up. Ari jumped up next to him, shaking off her need to move. 

“Now are we going to train?” Ari asked. She had tried to hide the impatience in her voice, but the look Kai gave her proved otherwise.

“You need to stretch first,” Kai instructed. “You're no use if you injure yourself.”

After about half an hour of stretching and small exercise (and lots of grumbling from Ari), the duo moved outside. First, Kai tested her combat skills. Kai had fought Ari, and she felt like she did pretty well. Din had taken some martial arts class when he was younger and had taught Ari. Not to mention she was pretty strong from the gymnastics club she had won several gold medals for. 

Kai had given her no response to how well she had done. In fact, once the test part was over, Kai immediately went into teacher mode, instructing her on how to improve (through berating her of course). He made Ari practice the same moves over and over until he would move on. The hot sun combined with the repetitive practice and Kai yelling at her was making Ari’s temper rise faster than a helium balloon. 

“Master, can we please move on now?” Ari panted, landing a flying kick. Her heart pounded in her ear and she collapsed on the hot sand. 

“No.” Kai crossed his arms. “You do it until you do it right. Then we move on.”

Ari let out a loud, frustrated growl as she stood up, preparing to do the kick again. 

Two-thirds of the day had gone by when Kai had decided Ari’s combat training was done. He had mostly been instructing defensive moves, with only some offense. 

“You can’t be the first to strike, no matter what.” Kai’s reasoning had been. “An honorable warrior does not seek fights, nor do they cause them.” 

Ari wasn’t sure if she fully agreed with that, but she had been too tired to argue. 

The test of her powers came after they had a quick break. Kai led Ari to a rocky hill, asking her to explode certain rocks in a controlled manner. Just like always, Ari’s explosions never were too big. They were small and barely did anything. That's when all the pent up frustration came out. Her explosions became bigger, and if she was being honest, more uncontrollable. The sun set and Kai did not comment on her power. They simply went inside, ate dinner, and got ready for bed.

The next day came and went relatively the same. Kai still yelled at Ari, Ari still got frustrated. When it came to working with her powers, Kai didn’t seem happy. Well, he never seemed happy. He was just more disappointed than normal. 

On the third day, there was no combat training. Kai chose not to explain when Ari had asked why. They stood in front of the pile of rocks which Ari had started to hate. Kai handed Ari a smooth, tall branch. It was worn away by the sea and curled slightly at the top.

“What’s this for?” Ari asked, turning the staff in her hands.

“I want you to use this as a vessel while you use your powers.” Kai turned to Ari. “Look kid, you are letting your emotions fuel your powers. You are falling out of control. That is not the way.”

“Won’t it explode if I use it like that?” Ari looked up. 

“No,” Kai looked at the horizon. “Think of it like a water balloon. You're the one putting water in it, and you control how much water, and when to throw it. You're in control even if it’s out of your hands.”

“Huh.” Ari raised her eyebrows. “Well, I guess it’s worth a shot.” 

“I want you to hit that rock right there.” Kai pointed to a large boulder in the middle of the pile. “Don’t explode anything else around it.”

Ari nodded, then concentrated on the staff. She pictured it like a balloon, filling up with water. She felt the energy flowing through her and out her fingertips. She could feel the staff humming slightly with the power it held. Once she felt certain she had enough power, he pinwheeled the staff until it fit horizontally under her arm. She felt the power release, and for a split second, she could see it leave the staff. A bright white beam flew straight into the rock where Kai had pointed to. It collided with a bang, and all that was left of it now was dust. 

Kai clapped his hands and gave a whoop.

“Nice, kid!” He gave Ari a slap on her back. “Holy shit, it worked!” Kai cheered once more.

“I thought you were sure it was going to work?” Ari gave Kai a sideways grin.

“Well, I wasn’t a hundred percent certain, but who cares kid? It worked!” Kai celebrated. 

The rest of the day's training focused on Ari doing it faster. 

“But don’t immediately do it as quickly as possible,” Kai warned. “Focus on getting it right, then speeding it up. You don’t want to explode the wrong thing by accident.”

Two weeks went by training, and still no sign of the Oni. Well, no physical sign. Every day, Ari could feel their presence growing stronger, drawing near. She tried her best to remain focused on training, but it was difficult. It was almost as if the presence of the Oni was a physical weight on her shoulder that grew heavier and more painful each day. It was even hard to get a full night's sleep. Even there, Ari was haunted by visions of the Oni’s destruction. 

That wasn’t to say her training was going poorly. Ari had always been a fast learner, and she was getting stronger daily. But even now Kai could feel the change. The world seemed quieter like it was holding its breath, waiting. Nothing seemed right by any means, everything felt off. Kai tried his best to encourage Ari and conceal his panic. 

After a sleepless night for both Ari and Kai, they had resolved to take the day off. Kai had reasoned that if they didn’t have a break, they would exhaust themselves before the Oni even arrived.

Kai spent most of the day meditating and had advised Ari to do the same. Ari couldn’t help but find it slightly strange. After spending two full nonstop weeks with Kai, the arrogant and talkative asshole he was, it was strange for him to be so awfully quiet. 

“Master?” Ari asked quietly. Kai opened his eyes. “I sense you are uneasy. What’s wrong?” 

Kai sighed.

“Well kid, the Oni could show up at any second, who wouldn’t be on edge?” He gave her a slightly forced grin.

Ari’s face twisted in mild frustration, and she chewed on her lip.

“Master, I think there’s something else,” Ari spoke tentatively, waiting for Kai’s reaction. She didn’t want to pile on questions, but she was worried.

Kai stood up and patted Ari on the head.

“Don’t worry about me kid, I’m fine. Just try to get some rest.”

The sun had set over the desert. Ari got her spot on the floor ready for sleeping. Kai put out their fire as he too laid down. Ari turned to face the wall and bit her nails. Why wasn’t Kai telling her the truth? As drowsiness took over her, she tried to ignore her anxieties. Ari drifted into a dreamless slumber.


	6. The Traitor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals!

_ Being below deck while flying on the Bounty never quite agreed with Kai. He held onto the walls for dear life, trying not to get sick. Although he knew they were up in the air, it had always felt like they were in water. Just the thought of that sent Kai into a panic. _

_ “Master Kai? Are you alright?” A soft voice came from behind him. Kai turned around as quickly as he could while keeping his back against the wall. He plastered a grin on his face. _

_ “Ah ha ha… Princess!” Harumi gave him a concerned look. “En-enjoying the ride? I k-know I am!” Kai gave a nervous laugh.  _

_ Harumi gave him a bemused smile and offered her arm.  _

_ “Here. I’ll keep you steady.” Kai took it gratefully. He just hoped he wasn’t cutting off her blood circulation.  _

_ “I just came down here looking for something to eat, I hope you don’t mind.” She continued.  _

_ “Oh, not at all. You’re our guest, so feel free to take anything.” He pointed left. “The kitchen is that way, Princess.” Harumi turned. _

_ “Would it be too much if I asked you to join me? If you’d rather go above…” Kai blushed. This was too embarrassing already.  _

_ “No, no. I’ll stay down here.” He stood up straighter. “I can do it.” Harumi smiled kindly as they entered the kitchen. _

_ Kai sat down at a seat, grabbing the table. Harumi walked over to the cabinets, then turned to Kai.  _

_ “Tea, Kai? It might help your nerves.” Kai put his head on his arms.  _

_ “Sure.”  _

_ A couple minutes later, Harumi came back with two warm cups of green tea. Kai took a long sip. It did calm him a bit. Harumi sat across from him, indulging in her own cup. _

_ “When I was a little girl, I thought you ninja weren’t afraid of anything.” She laughed lightly. “I guess I still believed it a bit.”  _

_ Kai stared intently into his tea. _

_ “Surprising for you I guess?” Kai mumbled. _

_ “A little bit, I’ll admit it.” Harumi took another sip. “Talking about surprises, I had always thought it would have been you to be the green ninja and fight Garmadon.” _

_ “You did?” Kai looked up, slightly intrigued. Harumi nodded. _

_ “I mean, we didn’t know much about the ninja at that point. We had only heard about you four, taking on the skeleton army. It was quite brave of you.” _

_ Kai gave her a smile.  _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “All in a day's work princess.” This conversation made him feel a bit better. Maybe it was the tea, or maybe it was just simply a distraction from the boat. Whatever it was, Kai didn’t mind it. _

_ “I had heard about the prophecy of the green ninja from my father. He was a historian who had been lucky enough to get his hands on it. He knew how much I had looked up to the ninja, and told me.” Harumi finished her tea. She lowered her voice to a whisper when she spoke again. _

_ “I still think you would have made a better green nina.”  _

_ At that moment, something inside Kai wanted to believe Harumi.  _

_ “You were a clear choice from the start...” _

_ But no. Lloyd was the green ninja and his friend. He was the fire elemental and he was happy where he was. End of story. _

_ “A powerful elemental…”  _

_ She did have that right. He was powerful. He could feel the temptation growing stronger. He just wanted so desperately to believe her. _

_ “A strong leader…” _

_ No, he had to listen to reason. He wasn’t the green ninja. _

_ Harumi’s demeanor changed. It was almost like she could see Kai’s internal struggle.  _

_ “I think you know this Kai.” Harumi’s tone was darker. “I think that deep down, you still want that power.”  _

_ Kai’s heart was racing. She wasn’t wrong. He had come to terms that he wasn’t the green ninja when he rescued Lloyd, but that had never gotten rid of his thirst for power. It was just so much easier to ignore it when someone wasn’t directly talking to him about it. _

_ “It was supposed to be you, wasn’t it?” Harumi was barely audible. _

_ Kai couldn’t help but nod a tiny bit. _

_ “I can get you that power.” Harumi smirked. Kai could feel his brain getting foggy. It was like someone had switched off the reasonable voice in his head. _

_ “How?” He knew he shouldn’t have said it. But he put those feelings away. His thirst for power was being quenched. He trusted Harumi, and he trusted his gut. His gut was telling him that this was the way. _

_ Harumi leaned back, smiling.  _

_ “Join me, Kai. Join the Sons of Garmadon.”  _

_ There may have been a point in time where Kai jumped across the room and captured Harumi, but now was not that time. _

_ “You’re… You’re the Quiet One?” Harumi laughed.  _

_ “Took you long enough.” She stared intently at Kai. “But yes, I am.”  _

_ “When we raise Garmadon from the dead, he can give you all the power your little heart desires.” Harumi promised. “All you have to do is keep our little secret, and join. We could use a powerful elemental like yourself.” _

_ Kai was sold. He stood up alongside Harumi. She stuck out her hand. _

_ “What do you say, Fireball?”  _

_ Kai firmly shook her hand. _

_ “Of course.” _

_ “Good, good. Your task right now is to stay “loyal” to those ninja. When I give the command, leave them.” _

_ “I will do what I must, Harumi.” _

_ Harumi smiled. _

  
Kai woke up shaking. The sky outside the cave still dark. Ari was sleeping peacefully a couple feet away from him. Kai put his face in his hands, trying to clear away the bad memory.

He stood up, grabbing his nin-jō. He made his way outside to the fresh air. He began walking along the dunes, watching his feet sink into the sand. A light breeze picked up the grains, making them fly away. 

Once Kai felt like he had walked far enough, he sat on top of a large sand dune. The sky was purple, and the stars still twinkled brightly. The breeze cooled him down, making everything seem calm again. 

His mind returned to Ari. He couldn’t do this. Not to this kid. He knew that the Oni were unstoppable, he couldn’t take them alone. But he couldn’t expect this kid,  _ this child _ to stop or even fight them either. It wasn’t right to put all this pressure on her shoulders.

Kai looked down. He couldn’t exactly walk up to the other elemental master and be like: “Hey! Remember me? The tratorious elemental who helped cause tons of death and destruction? Well, a bunch of Onis are on their way here and we don’t have any more time, so whatta say gang? One last big fight all together?” In fact, he’d probably get arrested. 

Kai looked back at the anacondrai tomb he had called his home. He had to do something. He could feel the presence of the Oni drawing closer daily, and there wasn’t enough time to fully train the kid. Shit, she hadn’t even reached her full potential, how was she expected to fight Oni?

Kai leaned back and closed his eyes. He knew what he had to do. He had to stop with the bullshit and tell her. He knew he couldn’t keep his secret for long, not with the clock running out.

He had to tell her.


End file.
